Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, on Wednesday announced that newly-released data suggests that long-term symptoms associated with COVID-19 can linger for nearly nine months following infection.
Fauci shared the findings of research conducted by the University of Washington during a White House news briefing on the novel coronavirus. He stated that nearly 30 percent of patients reported symptoms including fatigue, sleep disorders and shortness of breath lasting for months.
Researchers have referred to the symptoms as Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19 (PASC), which can often develop some time after the initial infection and can range from being mild to “incapacitating,” Fauci stated.
“The magnitude of the problem is not fully known,” Fauci said.
He also noted that people who were not required to be hospitalized as a result of contracting COVID-19 or who had symptoms not associated with their infection also reported PASC.
Early studies of the long-term effects of COVID-19 on people who may have even experienced mild cases have shown damaging effects such as decreased lung function and damage to the heart, kidneys and other organs.
Fauci stated that the National Institutes of Health is beginning to study “long COVID” in an effort to identify its causes and possible treatments.